Here’s How The Position You Sleep In Affects Your Health

By spending 7-8 hours in our beds every day, we spend more than 25 years of our life sleeping. This makes sleep one of the most important things in our life and it’s a fact that it is. Sleeping revitalizes our cells and helps the body repair itself, while boosting the function of our brain.

Due to its importance, we must ensure that we’re sleeping properly. Below you can see the most common sleeping positions and how they affect your sleep and overall health.

The Soldier Position

Sleeping in this position (on the back with shoulders close to the body) is considered one of the best sleeping positions. The pose resembles the Savasana yoga pose and has more than a few health benefits.

Pros

Treats acid reflux and heartburn;

Improves our posture;

Reduces the risk of headaches;

Prevents wrinkles;

Keeps your breasts perky;

Eliminates insomnia;

The soldier position is perfect for your neck, arms and spine;

Cons

May affect the fetus in pregnant women;

May aggravate snoring as it pulls the tongue down;

May cause lower back pain;

If you’re sleeping in the soldier position, we suggest sleeping without a pillow to keep your body in a more natural position. A big pillow under your knees will prevent lower back pain.

The Starfish Position

The so-called back-sleeper position is great against insomnia and acid reflux, but it’s not without its disadvantages.

Pros

Treats acid reflux and heartburn;

Great for the back and spine;

Reduces the risk of headaches;

Eliminates insomnia;

Prevents skin problems such as wrinkles;

Cons

May cause lower back pain;

The unnatural position of the arms (above the head) may put too much pressure on the shoulders and cause pain;

May aggravate snoring in sleep apnea patients.

To reduce the risk of these problems, sleep without a pillow if you sleep in the starfish position.

The Log Position

The log position is sleeping on the left or right side of your body in a straight line. Sleeping on the left is considered one of the ideal sleeping positions as it offers quite a few health benefits.

Pros

Improves digestion;

Ideal for the spine;

Prevents neck and back pain;

The log position is best for pregnant women;

Cons

May accelerate skin aging and cause sagging breasts and wrinkles;

Back or hip pain are possible as the top leg doesn’t have proper support;

The log position has been known to cause neck pain in some cases.

If you’re sleeping in the log position, use a big pillow and put another one between your thighs.

The Yearner position

The yearner position is actually sleeping on the left side with the arms outstretched. Here are its pros and cons:

Pros

Reduces the chances of snoring and sleep apnea;

Prevents back and neck pain;

Relieves heartburn;

Helps the body clean waste from the brain which may be responsible for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia;

People sleeping in the yearner position are less likely to wake up overnight;

Cons

May cause shoulder and arm pain due to the lack of proper blood flow;

The compression on the nerves may strain organs such as the liver and stomach;

May cause premature aging and saggy breasts.

If you’re sleeping in this position, put a pillow between your knees and sleep on a satin pillow in order to reduce the risk of wrinkles.

The Fetal position

The fetal position is sleeping with your knees drawn towards the chest and your chin down. It’s incredibly popular with women and experts suggest sleeping on the left side due to the benefits it offers.

Pros

May help reduce acid reflux;

It’s one of the best positions for pregnant women;

Reduces snoring;

Cons

May strain the neck and back;

May cause saggy breasts and wrinkles.

If you’re sleeping in the fetal position, use a firm pillow and change sides overnight if possible.

The Freefall position

Sleeping in the freefall position involves lying on your stomach which experts do not recommend.

Pros

It may reduce snoring in some cases;

Cons

Strains the back and spine too much;

Stresses numerous organs;

Due to lack of proper blood flow in the face it may lead to wrinkles.

It’s best to stay away from the freefall position altogether, but if you can’t sleep in another, put a pillow underneath your stomach.